Catalonia requests Spanish armys help to fight coronavirus

Catalan Health Minister Alba Vergés Thursday requested help from the emergencies branch of the Spanish army to combat the coronavirus pandemic, breaking with weeks of reluctance.

The army is already helping to set up a makeshift hospital in Sabadell, a town near Barcelona. In an interview with public broadcaster Catalunya Radio, Vergés said the Catalan government has now also asked the army for assistance with other tasks, including medical help from the armys doctors and nurses.

Vergés has been criticized over the past few weeks for being too slow to respond to an initial offer by the army to set up a makeshift hospital, and for her reluctance over the deployment of troops to disinfect Barcelonas El Prat airport. The Catalan government had been loath to accept the assistance as it favors independence from Spain.